Defiant I adapter pipe

[Sturla Snorrison]

I picked up a Defiant I over the summer and I am now trying to connect it to the chimney. My problem is the oval hole in the top of the Defiant and getting a pipe to fit. Both our mason, who also deals in woodstoves (albeit primarily Jotul) and the owner of the local stove shop told me that you could squish 8 inch pipe right into that oval just fine. I bought some 8 inch pipe, but just doesn't look like I can get that pipe inside the collar on the top of the stove. It's just too big. I can actually fit it over the collar, with enough room that I would consider adding gasket, but it just doesn't look like the pipe is going to bend to get into that opening. Do I just need to really manhandle it and crimp it or cut it? Is there a trick to this? Will 8 inch pipe work for this?

I would assume that Vt Castings sold a custom adapter for this at one time, but I have only been able to find adapters that look more like the oval on a Vigilant.

I would appreciate any advice or suggestions, or even a link to an adapter pipe that goes oval to 8 inch but has a 12 inch length.

Thanks

 

[Diabel]

I am sure you can find an oval to 8" connector online or from VC. The 12" length might be a problem. I would thing you fit/cut stove pipe to fit the connector.

 

[Tech Guru]

The old Defiant I oval (prior to 1984) was effectively equivalent to 8" round in circumference. For years (well over a decade) VC suggests to use a 24" length of single wall stove pipe with welded seams (as opposed to folded or rolled), then compress and ovalize it at one end to fit. Otherwise, you will likely have to have something customized, and who wants that expense?

 

[Sturla Snorrison]

Maybe that is why mine won't fit- I bought the Snap-Tite pipe which seems to be just too big. I guess I can just fight with it some more. I hate playing with stove pipe like that, so easy to get cut, almost as bad as metal roofing. Nonetheless, thank you very much for your advice.